Confessing Christ Today

"Blessed be the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy spirit...". It is with the giving of glory to, and the invocation of, the Kingdom, that the Church begins the celebration of her fundamental mysteries, the sacraments. It is with the Eucharistic invocation, its giving of glory to, and its contemplation of, the Kingdom, that our lives are transfigured -in the midst of our everyday living - into the mystery and into the "image" of the Kingdom.

Can it be considered in any way appropriate today to refer to a kingdom – even if it be the Kingdom of God – at a time when criticism of, and hostility to, the institution of the monarchy has reached a state of paroxysm in many parts of the world? What kind of response is likely to be aroused today by such preaching or by the raising of such expectation?

But exactly the coming of the kingdom of God means the surpassing of every other type of reign and power. “Thy Kingdom Come”, writes Origen, “that every authority and power and force and every kingdom of the world and sin which reigns in our mortal bodies be abolished, and that God reign over all of these”. “Thy Kingdom Come”, that the hypostatic LOVE (1 Jn 4:16) reigns absolutely in us, and in the universe.

To those concerned with the interpretation of Holy Scripture it is clear that the “kingdom of God” or the “kingdom of heaven”, which lies at the core of Christ’s teaching, refers, firstly, to an eternal fact, secondly, to a new reality inaugurated by the life and the work of Christ in the history of mankind and, thirdly, to something that is to be fully realized in the future. We are concerned here with a central motive that dominates the so-called “synoptic tradition”.

Luke and Mark predominantly use the expression the “kingdom of God” whereas Matthew usually refers to the “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of the Father”. This difference has given rise to not a few discussions, but eventually nearly all have agreed that the same fact of the “divine kingdom” is referred to in all instances. The same reality is also described as “life” (Mk 9:43, 46; Mt.7:13), “life everlasting” (Mk 10:17) – which in John is the central motive of Christ’s teaching – and these terms are associated with such ideas as “redemption” (Lk 21:28), and “glory” (Mk 10:37).

Jesus begins his teaching by assuring us that the “Kingdom” has been inaugurated by His presence and His work. All His wondrous acts, especially the liberation of man fromconditions of disease and privation, and the driving away of the demons that harass men, are “signs” of the presence of the Kingdom (Mt 12:28; cf. Lk 11:20). When the Pharisees ask “when is God’s kingdom coming”, Jesus assures them that “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Lk 17:20 ff.). The confines of this spiritual Kingdom are unimaginably broad and embrace the whole world. Invited into it and expected to come “from east and west” (Mt 8:11)are former sinners and tax-gatherers, the despised and insignificant of this world (Mt 5:10), and this is something never conceived of in Hebrew thinking. The requirements for admission to the Kingdom refer to neither race nor class but are spiritual and moral in nature. Thecharacteristics of those that shall enter the Kingdom are described in the “beatitudes”.

The manner in which the “kingdom of God” is referred to in the Gospels demonstrates that this reality exceeds accepted and logical limits; therefore the “mysteries of the Kingdom”are announced by parables, by images, by poetic diction.

A schematic review of the meanings attached to the “kingdom of God” in Christian thinking, leads to a discerning of three basic view points:

a) that it implies the visible Church founded by Christ and carrying on his redeeming work until the Second Coming;

b) that it is the kingdom of Christ on earth between the Second Coming and the final judgment; and

c) that it refers to the absolute kingdom of God after the last judgment. Some interpretations with more dominant social elements were added subsequently to these classical views: that the Kingdom of God is a Christian transformation of the social situation, that it is humanity organized in accordance with God’s will.

In our day, interpreters of the Bible have turned to a more radical approach: How did Jesus Himself understand the Kingdom? Some have spoken of an immediate expectation ofthe end, leading Him to an unreserved acceptance of death, others b) have transposed the “eschaton” to the historical “present” by maintaining that the Kingdom has already been realized by means of Christ’s work; others still c) have attempted a synthesis of these twopoints of view by highlighting each to a different degree and have seen the experience of the “kingdom of God” in the present but to be universally completed by a surprising act of God to take place in the future. Most investigators now tend to accept the view that the kingdom of God started with Christ’s presence in the life of mankind and is now in the process of realization.

Another important theological contribution of our generation has been the underlining of the “tension” existing between the “already fulfilled” and the “not yet fulfilled”, i.e. that the Kingdom is already in the process of coming in time and will also only be fully accomplishedat the end of time. Meanwhile, within time there is a constant tension between the present partially fulfilled reality and the delayed reality of the Second Coming.

It is of decisive importance that Jesus Himself inseparably associated His own person with the Kingdom. The certainty of the Apostolic Church that after the Resurrection God “hashighly exalted” Christ, that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, …and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Ph 2:9-11), has led it to speak of the “kingdom of Christ”. Thus the christological interpretation given by ChristHimself to the kingdom of God, namely that only in Him is the Kingdom present, is preserved. According to Origen: “The kingdom of heaven is Christ Himself, urging all men to repent and drawing them to Himself by grace”.

In the Orthodox theological tradition, the starting point and basis of the “kingdom of God” is a Trinitarian one. It is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the HolySpirit. It is the Kingdom of God and “the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col 1:13), coming into history by means of the Holy Spirit. It is an eternal reality entering “into us” by divine grace and by means of the sacraments and the full accomplishment of which is the aim andend of history.

In this framework of the already begun and expected “kingdom of God”, mission, the announcing of the Kingdom “unto the ends of the earth”, and to the whole of mankind, and inthe light of its eschatological fulfilment, holds a fundamental position.

A continuing duty of all disciples of all ages is the preaching of the kingdom of God, and incorporation into the mystical body of His Church – which is the prelude and the “image” of His Kingdom. The preaching to the entire universe remains the prerequisite for the consummation of the historical process of the maturation of mankind: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and thenthe end will come” (Mt 24:14). It is not a matter of mere transmission of teaching and views, but an incarnation of the Word in new geographical areas and new circumstances with a view to the establishment of new “churches”, of new cores of truth and grace, where the sacramentsof the Kingdom will be celebrated and where its coming will be experienced in Eucharist and glorification. (As pointed out by the Orthodox Conference in Bucharest on “Confessing Christ

3 “Every thing will be fully revealed and realized in the Eschaton; meanwhile the Church already participates in it through the first-fruits of the Holy Spirit. She, therefore,confesses this eschaton to be open through the Logos in the first-fruit of the Spirit which are the source and power for advancing the whole of humanity towards the coming Kingdom and for giving to the world a joyful hope of authentic and eternal life which follows the sacrificeof the Cross”.

Through the sacraments of the Church, the faithful see and experience the Transfiguration which presages the coming in glory of Christ the King, and through mission invite all men to communion in the new life by participation in the joyful paeans of praise of the Resurrected Christ, by participation in the Liturgy where the present and the future coming of the Kingdom are experienced.

In every generation of men, the preaching of the Kingdom continues. But each period has its peculiarities and its particular circumstances. Repeated analyses of the peculiarities of our era have been made in recent years, and points which call for special attention today havebeen emphasized. In the following brief review I propose to pinpoint only a few particular features which are observed over wide areas of the earth, and which are of special reference to the responsibilities and role of the Orthodox.

1) In the area inhabited by most of the traditionally Orthodox peoples, the Church succeeds in sustaining its sacramental presence under the new circumstances of a socialist society and an often anti-Christian ideology. In an environment which exults in and boasts ofthe achievement of social equality and justice in history, Christians must draw attention to the more complex riddle of the human person, to man’s metaphysical gropings, to the steps that still have to be taken to justify human existence. Discreetly but unequivocally, the presence ofthe Church points to the human problems of the deep meaning of life, of death, of the meaning of history. Especially by their life in worship, by their humble confession of Christ, by the

“martyrion” and the living experience of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), the giving of glory

and the looking forward to the eschatological end, the Orthodox communities in these parts of

the world are like ever-burning lamps contributing to the awakening of the conscience and

consciousness of humanity to the final coming of the “kingdom of God”.

In the Western world, the galloping technological development, free economy and free

movement of ideas tend to create a type of life that is mainly characterized by its whirling

around “worldly aspirations” and its being sucked into engrossment in the delights if this

transient world (secularisation). Rationalistic currents have penetrated even traditionally

Orthodox countries, like Greece, inciting young people, thinkers and artists to call in question

the meaningfulness of Christian faith, and especially that of the organized Church.

The times call for inspired church leadership, living and related to theology of our

times serious monastic centres, elders and spiritual leaders to assist the people in the practising

of vigilance, and to accustom men and women never to lose sight of the “end” of history.

The Orthodox communities that are scattered as minute minorities throughout the

western countries are centres of spiritual life for their members, “signs” of the sacramental

body of the Church, old – and therefore particularly precious – humble images of the Kingdom.

They are called to continue to present Orthodox experience to their environment in a direct

manner adapted to contemporary social conditions. They will best be able to do this by

achieving a creative fusion of the depths of Orthodox tradition with the practical efficiency of

western society.

4 The western Christian communities are making sustained efforts to head off these

various tendencies of technocratic development, social adjustments, philosophical

orientations, interdependence on a world-wide scale. They are striving to understand their

meaning and to practice self-criticism so that they can rethink their positions and present a

more meaningful witness to Christ.

We Orthodox too, in both socialist and free-economy

countries have a duty to concern ourselves theologically, with love, wisdom, and spiritual

courage with the problems of modern man, to become aware of the radical changes brought

about by the flowering of the sciences, to lend an ear to both their positive and their negative

messages and soberly to evaluate and utilize the new theories of life and social organization

that they put forward in the light of Orthodoxy.

We cannot leave to others the monopolistic exploitation of the world-wide campaign

for justice and brotherhood; for these ideals are at the very heart of the proclamation of the

Kingdom and indeed the basic ingredient thereof: “F or the kingdom of God is not food and

drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rm 14:17).

The “sons of the kingdom”, often referred to by the synonymous expression “the righteous” (Mt 13:38,43),should be factors of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” in their immediate or

broader environment. The new and ever revolutionary notion they have to offer is the

transcendental value of the human person, which has been virtually overlooked by both

capitalism and communism.

A characteristic note in our era is the explosive protest of the young against every kind

of “establishment”, their longing for fullness of life, for deep experiences, their striving after

forms of spirituality that go beyond the traditional individualistic morality, their searching in

the field of Asiatic religions and their attempts at a more direct escape – by the use of drugs.

To my mind, the latter phenomenon seems like a return to a sort of primitive religion; among

primitive peoples there are witch-doctors who administer herbs with narcotic properties to

men afflicted by obsessive ideas and desires so as to induce a kind of “release”, an ecstatic

state, a leap into another world. The Orthodox have to speak about the process of inner

transformation and renewal through the acceptance of the Word and the quickening power of

the Holy Spirit and introduce people into the “deifying” area of the mysteries of the Kingdom.

They can transmit the “fullness of life” (“that they may have life, and have it abundantly” – Jn.

10:10), that the Christian faith can give by emphasizing the transcendental nature of man, the

“divine image”, the existentialist communion with the Holy Trinity which is activated in and

by the Holy Spirit and leads to a substantial transformation of life.

2) In the immense expanses of the so-called third world, the presence of Christians is

very limited and that of Orthodoxy very slight, indeed no more than a token presence.

However, there are minuscule Orthodox communities (in Eastern and Central Africa, in Japan

and in Korea), as a reminder of the existence of Orthodoxy. They are humble candles bearing

witness to the fact that Orthodoxy is not identified with any particular place or culture and that

there is a long forgotten commandment (Mt 28:19) that awaits our attention. These

communities are also ambassadors representing the Eastern Christian tradition in countries

where people have become accustomed to looking upon Christianity as a sort of spiritual

foreign trade commodity of Western Europe, forgetting that Christianity was born in Palestine

and that it first spread to Asia and Northern Africa.

Despite this all but non-existent presence of Orthodoxy in this enormous geographical

area, it is imperative that, being members of the wider Christian family, we should be aware of

the spiritual fermentations taking place in these parts and of the missionary efforts being made

by other Christian Churches.

A significant development of the last years in this area has been that our more

responsible participation in the Ecumenical Movement has resulted in our being confronted by

a continuous invitation and challenge to share in the problems of the Christian communities of

the so-called third world but also by our being offered an opportunity to transmit theological

experiences from the historical consciousness and subconsciousness of Orthodoxy and thus

indirectly to contribute to a correct orientation of world-wide missionary activities. The

dynamic Orthodox minority in the Islamic world has an important role to play in promoting

mutual understanding between Christians and Moslems in the context of the theological

dialogue that is just beginning.

Moreover, the sensitivity of these new Christian communities to the historical

development and progress of their own people and to significant social and concrete issues,

can teach us a great deal about the historical aspects of the Kingdom, and the dimension of

“now”, so that we may avoid any one-sidedness in our looking at the eschatological mystery

of the kingdom of God. This is a mutual give-and-take process, and therefore it is useful to

have some knowledge of the problems of these new Christian communities.

In Africa, new movements, partly of a nationalist or totalitarian political nature, partly

of a religious nature, are bursting forth and spreading with a rapidity akin to the luxuriant

growth of the African virgin forest. In parallel with Christian mission, two other world-wide

movements electrify the Africans: Islam and the communist ideology in its various forms.

The Orthodox certainly have an opportunity, but also an obligation, to develop a more active and

systematic struggle in this area, where a few Orthodox outposts are already in existence. But

also in the general theoretical area of the development of an African Christianity, they can

attuned to the same wave-length as the customs and experiences of the eastern world. I must

say that while travelling in Thailand, Ceylon, Korea and Japan, I felt that many of the external

elements of popular Buddhist religion were very close to our own expression of “piety”

“devotion”, even though their theoretical associations are entirely different.

China is a special case. It would seem that communism here has acted as a bulldozer to

the religious flowerings of the past, has destroyed a great many roots, including the sacred

patriarchal structure in the family (which had been frozen in Confucianism), and many of the

magical elements (cultivated by popular Taoism), and in general given very strong emphasis to Chinese realism. However, it would be risky to say that no vestige of popular religious feeling survives in China. Great trees may be destroyed in a forest fire, but the roots of smallerplants, such as grasses, are more resistant.

Also, irrespective of the situation in continental

China, Chinese populations still live in Formosa, Hong-Kong and Singapore. There are many

who look forward to the day when the Chinese will re-create their religious environment by

freely choosing among elements of their own religious patrimony and those of other cultures,

including Christian culture in particular. The message of the “kingdom of heaven” will be of vital importance for this numberless people that has always lived by the vision of a cosmic harmony where man is the mediator between heaven and earth.

It would be too long to extend these hasty brush-strokes to other individual Asian

countries. My aim in presenting this sketchy review has been to point out that our increasinglyintegrated world, in which the Kingdom must continue to be preached, includes a wide variety of forms and that the Christian witness must keep a watchful eye for “signs of the times”, meditating on their meaning and making creative use of the circumstances of historical reality.

The “kingdom of God”, it is true will only be complete at the “Eschaton”, but let us not forget

that it has already entered into history and that the activation of the “leaven” (Mt 13:30) of its

presence in the Oikoumene, in geographical space and in the historical process, remains for

the Christians an urgent apostolic task.

Following this review of the world-wide missionary situation, it might be of interest to

add a historical parenthesis of information regarding specific missionary development in the

area of Orthodoxy.

During earlier meetings of “Syndesmos” special emphasis had been placed on

“External Mission” as an entirely neglected and forgotten area. Today, there exists panorthodox

agreement concerning its importance and necessity. It is now evident that the

activities in areas like Africa or Asia in order not to violate customary church rights. This

leads to a passive attitude and isolation which does everything but promote the pan-orthodox

missionary effort. As again pointed out during the 2nd Congress of Orthodox Theologians at

Penteli last year (1976), it is necessary that cooperation be promoted through the initiative of

the Ecumenical Patriarchate if viable solutions are to be found, which must be both faithful to

tradition and realistically adapted to new conditions so that an effective Orthodox witness may

be ensured on a world-wide scale.

The emphasis on the duties of Orthodox Mission extending to “the ends of the earth”

should not make us oblivious to the need for witness in the particular circumstances of our

respective home countries (“… in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the

earth”, and in Greece, and in Russia and in France, and in America, etc.). It is common

knowledge that many doubters and unbelievers are to be found in the formerly so-called

Christian countries. Internal and external mission are but the two sides of the same coin. Any

polarization is inadmissible. Each form of mission reinforces and consolidates the other, nor

can mission be thought of as a specialized activity of certain “missionaries”.

The apostolic duty is universal and that refers both to the recipients and to the bearers

and the content of the message. The entire Church must offer the entire Gospel to the entire

world: to those near and to those far away and to man as a whole and to human life as a whole.

In the area of internal mission or so-called evangelism we are informed by various

Christian publications that many significant actions are undertaken by local Churches at the

initiative of Synods, bishops, priests and laymen. Some of these are better known than others.

Unfortunately, there is still no systematic study concerning the character and the positive or

negative aspects of all these initiatives.

However, there persists a diffuse feeling that evangelism is slow in adapting its means

and ways to the ever-changing conditions of our times. Our Church structures remain as a rule

closer to the organization of a rural and rather static society.

We must look for new forms of work corresponding to the dynamic changing modern

reality of large cities, to the contemporary pace of life, to the problems of a technological

society and to the desire of people for a fullness of life. The basic cell of the Orthodox Church,

the parish, is faced with far-reaching changes both in the cities of the old Orthodox countries

and in the so-called “diaspora” in the West, which require fundamental pastoral and

missionary adjustments. There is an unquestionable need for a more systematic mobilization,

imagination, enthusiasm, loyalty to tradition, but also creative continuity, exchange of ideas,

plans, and programmes among ourselves, information concerning the experiences and the

successes of others. The pan- orthodox meetings, in particular which in recent years havebecome established institutions, especially on the theological level, should become more

extensive, more systematic and more numerous.

The awareness of the unity of Orthodoxy, the certainty that the local churches, despite

their cultural and linguistic variety, are expressions of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic

Church, that Orthodoxy is the uniform realization of Him “who fills all in all” (Eph 1:23) and

not a “confederation of Churches” must be cultivated in depth and in breadth among the

people and utilized for a dynamic common witness. A more profound theological

infrastructure and eucharistic spirituality will be needed in the various missionary activities

both at home and abroad. I am referring to the real theological evaluation and confrontation of

the questions and new problems arising from our encounter with new theories and realities in

the life of humanity so that the present of Orthodox Churches may be organically linked with

the past and that new horizons may be opened into the future, all the while keeping the

Kingdom firmly in sight.

After this general review of the present-day international scene, it is now time to come

to the personal sphere and look at some aspects of the preaching of the “kingdom of God”

which concern us as individuals, in existentialist terms.

a) As pointed out earlier, the “kingdom of God” has come and is coming. For the

believer, this is the most certain thing in human history. It is a blessed reality which will be

fully consummated in the end no matter what delays or human reactions may intervene. The

feeling and awareness of its nearness, and the vision of its full realization in glory, has been

the content and most vital nerve of- mission. This vision fills the souls of the believers with

courage, optimism, serenity and peace. No labour undertaken for the sake of the Kingdom is

never lost. The vision of that which lies beyond history, the projection of the “eschaton” into

the present activates the will to make right use of the present moment.

b) Our contribution to the advent of the Kingdom begins with the actual development of

its “signs” within ourselves. When a human being submits consciously to the criteria and the

requirements of the “kingdom of God”, when he becomes “dwelling” of the Holy Spirit, then

he gradually comes to be a “sign”, a living sign-post indicating the expected full realization of

the Kingdom; and then the Kingdom penetrates more deeply into the human community.

Its

brilliance shines from, and its image is reflected in, the faces of the saints who have accepted

it with all their hearts. St. Makarios the Egyptian made the following comment in connection

with the passage “the Kingdom of heaven is within you”: “That the Kingdom is within, what

else can this mean but the heavenly bliss of the Holy Spirit being activated within worthy

souls, just like the spiritual delight and joy and bliss in eternal light that the angels will have in

the Kingdom? A pledge and a beginning of this is given to worthy and faithful souls to

possess even now through active communion with the Holy Spirit.

c) The “kingdom of heaven” is a gift of God, it is an offer from God, yet it requires

intense human effort, “… the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence

take it by force” (Mt 11:12; cf. Lk 16:16). “Nor is the kingdom of God for the sleeping and the

foolish” (Clement of Alexandria). There are certain conditions that need to be consistently

fulfilled, there are heights that must be conquered. Basic prerequisites are repentance (Mt

3:12), the right attitude toward Christ, with whose person the Kingdom is associated, and

union with Him through faith. “The kingdom of heaven is grace through faith, the adoption

through the Spirit that unites man to God” (Origen). The Kingdom cannot be gained by mere

lip-service (“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Mt 7:21). Nor can it be conquered by conventional religious habits (“… unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom ofheaven” Mt 5:20). Violence and grace complement each other.Christian life has a dynamic, evolutionary character. The believer is already in possession of something precious but goes on finding more and more through the presenceand the action of the Holy Spirit. There is a process of transformation from “glory to glory” (2 Cor 3:18). The Christian unceasingly receives, discovers and offers (“Therefore every scribe who has been instructed into the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out ofhis treasure what is new and what is old” Mt 13:53). The believers who convey the message of

the Kingdom are neither perfect nor free from sin. They are like thirsty men who know where

the “living water” is and tell others so that they too may quench their thirst.

incorporation into the mystical body of Christ. Our confession draws strength from the

experience of the Church. Therefore our individual, personal witness for Christ is

ecclesiastical in the final analysis. When we confess the Lord, we do so mainly as members of

a confessing community, of the Church which carries on His work. “Therein only is the

Kingdom of Heaven proclaimed and thereto points everyone of the redeeming Gospel’s aims”

(Eusebius). Orthodox missionaries do not act as individuals.

If they go in twos and threes, if

their immediate aim is to form a worshipping community with the local people, they do not do

so merely for mutual support, but in order to constitute a “sign”, a revelation and an

instrument of the already come and also coming kingdom of heaven.

In this place or that, the Church’s historical outward aspect may at times cause a

scandal, but the Church remains nevertheless a “divine institution” and of divine substance.

The presence of “scandals” in the field of history does not annihilate the existence of the

Kingdom, but rather confirms its historical authenticity. During its time on earth, in the

interval between the founding of and the fulfilment of the Kingdom, between the sowing of

the seed and the reaping of the weeds and “the good seed” that have “grown up together” (Mt

13:24-43), they both, the “sons of evil” and the “sons of the Kingdom”, will be inter-mixed.

There is nothing surprising in this. “All scandals” will be swept away together at the end of

time, upon the fulfilment of the Kingdom. Until then we must patiently accept this historical

reality and must strengthen “the good seed” in every way.

e) The culmination of the experience of the Kingdom on earth and the announcement of

its advent, resides in the life of worship. This is the model and reflection of the heavenly

liturgy, an echo of the hymns of the angels and saints at the sight of the King of the universe.

The nature of the Kingdom is beyond verbal description. In the eucharistic congregation with

the believers of all times and places, while we partake of the holy Body and the precious

Blood “to augment the divine grace and appropriate the kingdom”, we sense the Kingdom

with our whole being and receive a fore-taste of it. The experience of the already founded and

yet still expected “kingdom of heaven” gives us a different sense of life and a different kind of

dynamism. The Kingdom dawns within us. In the life of worship the “age to come” is

announced, the vigilance of the spirit is intensified by the anticipation of the “eschaton”, the

present is bathed in the reflected light of eternity, and the wearing of the world’s historical

everyday aspect is transformed. “The Liturgy is our thanksgiving for and on behalf of the

created world; and the restoration of the fallen world in Christ. It is the image of the Kingdom;

it is the Cosmos becoming Ecclesia”. So the liturgy as whole becomes witness and mission,and mission is not merely an announcement of salvation in Christ but mainly a revelation ofsalvation through the Eucharist and an invitation to share in the redeeming event in Christ.

f) The “kingdom of God” is already in the world but is not “of the world” (In 18:36). As a

rule, earthly kingdoms are in contrast with the kingdom of God. The “principalities” the

“powers” of this present darkness” (Eph 6:12) have been virtually dethroned by the redeeming

work of Christ but have not yet been eliminated. In the historical process of humanity, they

will continue stubbornly to launch their counter-attacks even though they know that the battle

has already been decided by the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ. The lot of the “sons of

the Kingdom” is in conflict with these powers, and continuation of the work of Christ who

came “to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8).

The mission of the Church prepares the final advent of the Kingdom of God; it does

not shape it historically by its social and other activities. The faithful have to fight for

“righteousness and peace and joy” (Rom 14:17) which are basic ingredients of the Kingdom,

but it would be superficial on their part to identify the coming of the Kingdom with political

or social struggles or with romantic messianic expectations in the immediate future. True, the

dialogue with contemporary social movements and ideologies involves many elements we

Christians must evaluate and use to our best advantage. But while remaining sensitive to

present “political” issues, we must never lose sight of, and never cease to point to, the eternal

and the eschatological.

g) Whoever lives in the light of the Kingdom and senses its importance, cannot fail to feel

the “urgency” of its announcement. The phrase “Confessing Christ today”, which has been

extensively used as a slogan in recent years, does not lead us to think only of present

circumstances, but calls to mind the imperative duty to confess Christ, to announce the Gospel

of the Kingdom not tomorrow, but today. Men can -and must -enter the Kingdom today (Mt

5:20; 18:3; 20:1-16); the effort to live the principles and the spirit of the Kingdom must be

made at every “present” moment. The devil relies heavily on the great resolutions of today

which are postponed until tomorrow. And perhaps, being a modern devil, he may take

satisfaction in the endless discussions in committees and assemblies in which action is often

drowned.

h) Participation in the Kingdom implies “gladness” and “tribulations” as well. The

parables of the treasure in a field, and of the pearl of great value (Mt 13:44-45), refer to

excessive joy at the discovery and the acquisition of the great gift of God. “Peace and

rejoicing in the Holy Spirit” is the atmosphere of the Kingdom; but at the same time, readiness

for self-denial and sacrifice is demanded. Entry is through the “narrow gate”. The apostolic

experience and the lives of the saints show that “… through many tribulations we must enter

the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

To clear the way for the advent of the Kingdom in the hearts of men is by no means a

simple or easy task. There is a price to pay. Whoever wants to work effectively for the

propagation of the Gospel must be prepared to accept pain and hardship. There is no

Christianity without the cross; nor is there Christian and missionary life without crucifixion

with Christ. Those who look for comfort, for power and for worldly reaches and privileges

cannot be true preachers and “sons” of the Kingdom. They only contribute to misconceptions

and the misconstruing of its meaning. The ascetic tradition of the Orthodox Church is a

continuous existentialist protest against an easy and comfortable Christianity, which pays lipservice

to the Cross but in reality avoids or even hates it (Phil 3:18).

* * *

“Blessed be the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy spirit…”. It is with the giving of glory to, and the invocation of, the Kingdom, that the Church begins the celebration of her fundamental mysteries, the sacraments. It is with the Eucharistic invocation, its giving of glory to, and its contemplation of, the Kingdom, that our lives are transfigured -in the midst of our everyday living – into the mystery and into the “image” of the Kingdom.

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In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription.
It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong.

Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service,
weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers.
Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible -
Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable.

For example, 5 dollars a month is it a lot or little?
A cup of coffee?
It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir.

If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 dollars a month,
they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ,
Orthodoxy, life's purpose, family and society.